Check the Gold
by kommiecorr
Summary: Commander Root isn't the only one to break the rules during the Fowl Siege. Unfortunately for Holly Short, he was the only one to do so with her best interests at heart. Witness the aftermath of the Fowl Incident, where the only thing Artemis won was the fragile loyalty of distrustful elf. Rated T to be on the safe side.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl is the property of Eoin Colfer. I am not Eoin Colfer, nor do I own rights to any of the characters, settings, or events recognizable from his works.**

 **Author's Note: This is going to be the first story that I've posted to this site. If you have any comments, please post a review or you can Private Message me. If you notice any typos, please let my know by PM as well. Constructive criticism is always helpful.  
**

Chapter 1

* * *

 _Nobody said a thing. Artemis imagined that somewhere the 1812 Overture was playing. The gold sat there, stacked in shining rows. It seemed to have an aura, a warmth, but also an inherent danger. There were a lot of people willing to die or kill for the unimaginable wealth this gold could bring._

\- _Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer_

"Check the gold."

Butler pulled out one of his knives and gouged out a portion. He examined it closely, then turned to Artemis and nodded.

Artemis sighed and relaxed slightly for an instant. Victory was now in his grasp. A moment later, and he was back in control.

"Good. Excellent. Move them down to the cell. After its done we can send the trolley back with Captain Short." Then he turned to Holly. "As soon as it is all moved, you will be returned to your People."

Holly didn't reply. She was hovering, approximately four feet off the ground and was staring at the gold, as if confused.

"Captain Short?"

Holly blinked and turned to face her captor. She seemed to be very shocked with this turn of events. Artemis sighed again, this time in exasperation.

"Look Captain, I understand if this has been a surprise, but the ransom has been paid and you are freed as soon as it's secured." When she didn't respond, Artemis continued. "I know you have very little reason to trust me, but I am an honest man, even if I step outside the bounds of legality. Your Commander has paid the ransom and –"

The Elf interrupted him.

"That's just it. I don't think they _did_ pay."

* * *

Back at Operations, Foaly was just finishing up the last of the clean-up. In less than half an hour, the Time Stop would be ended, the People safely underground, and with only one casualty from this whole disastrous operation. Well, four casualties if you included the Mud Men.

Root blustered in.

"Is everything in position?"

Foaly rolled his eyes.

"Yes, everything is in position. As soon as Holly comes out and everyone clears the area, the Bio-Bomb will be deployed."

"Good." The commander hesitated for a moment than continued. "The Council called. They want direct access to the Bio-Bomb's launch mechanisms. Something about being certain that Fowl is dealt with."

Foaly was surprised.

"What, first Cudgeon, now this?" Foaly whined in protest.

"Is that a problem?"

"Oh, not really. The coordinates are already programmed in; the launch can be launched remotely if necessary. Only a small matter of connecting two different times zones together. Still... it's just…"

"Just what?" Root demanded.

"I don't know. Something seems wrong with this."

Root privately agreed, but couldn't actually say so. The rest of this disaster had to go off without a hitch or the Council could try to shift Cudgeon's appointment, and the consequences, onto him. Root humph'ed in agreement, and stormed off, presumably to bully some of Cudgeon's temporary lackeys back into order.

Foaly got back to work. Setting up a private and secure link up with the Council from above ground, in a time stop, and within a time limit would be a challenge.

* * *

Everyone froze. It may have only been Artemis' imagination that the _1812 Overture_ had been playing, but the sound of vinyl scratching seemed almost tangible.

"What do you mean?"

The Captain had gone back to staring at the gold, only now Artemis was focusing on her. She was frowning, in a way of one surprised when something isn't where it is supposed to be. In fact, she seemed to be getting angry, an indicator that she actually believed that the People had paid a ransom in fake gold. But, how would she know?

Artemis went over everything in the Book and from his searching online and came up with a high probability.

"You can sense it. You can sense that it isn't gold."

The Captain startled. Again surprised by the information that this human had.

"More or less. The People have a connection with the earth, gold especially. And I'm not feeling that, at least not as gold should feel."

"Can you prove it?"

Butler's tones were a surprise to the Captain, she hadn't noticed his approach. Short looked around the room, and searched each face. Artemis seemed closed off. Juliet seemed disappointed. Butler seemed largely concerned, but not for the money. Short followed his glance. 'Fowl? What's to be concerned about? He's as collected as ever.'

But that wasn't true. Although his face was closed off, his body spoke volumes. He was holding himself so tightly that he was trembling. His hands clenched tightly into fists, so tightly that they seemed white. Holly looked back at the gold. She removed the gold bar that Butler had tested, holding it to a damaged section of her helmet. A single stream of electricity arced from an exposed wire to the bar. And the bar cracked into pieces as the energy turned the gold to black.

Holly looked back at them, dropping the bar at her feet. Juliet was staring at the bar, at the burnt, black lines crisscrossing through something promised to be gold. Butler was staring at Artemis, who was staring… back at the Captain. He looked completely different. Relaxed almost, but very obviously defeated.

"Alright then. That… that changes things."

Another comment that Artemis wished he had never made.

* * *

"Where is she?!" Root was fuming. The Council were going to launch the missile any moment, and the Mud Boy still hadn't returned Holly.

"I don't know; Holly's helmet camera still isn't functioning and without a fairy onsite, I don't have access to the manor's security cameras. I'm trying to get a thermal image of the manor, but I'm getting interference with something inside the manor."

"Well, WHAT IS IT?!"

"I don't know. Whatever it is, it didn't start until after we sent in the gold." Foaly hesitated. "Sir, this may mean that Fowl doesn't intend to return Holly to us."

Root stood still, then looked Foaly straight in the eyes. But before he could come up with a response, a signal popped up from one of the captured Retrieval helmets.

* * *

"I believed it you know," Artemis said into one of the undamaged helmets. "I really thought it was true."

Artemis paused in his speech. Normally his attention would be completely focused on his conversation. But now, with defeat on hand and a fairy nearby whose life and trust he had just destroyed, he couldn't focus on his current action. He had to recalculate his future moves.

There was a long pause, during which Juliet helped Holly out of her damaged helmet. Apparently, they weren't anticipating a call over the captured helmets. Probably had thought that the self-destruct had activated already, but Artemis had managed to disable those with ease. Finally, Root's loud tones sounded out over the headset.

"What are you babbling about Mud Boy? And why isn't my Captain back with us out here?! You have the gold; the ransom is paid! As soon as you return her to us, this whole thing is over."

Artemis sighed. The Commander didn't know. He was still paying the old game, giving a ransom that could be recovered. At least, so he thought. That meant that someone higher up had done this. Outmaneuvered Artemis Fowl, due to treachery or incompetence. There was a lesson to be learned here, that even if you know the rules and laws, there could always be someone else that could have mucked it up by chance.

"I'm going to turn this over to the Captain now. I do however apologize, I thought too well of you and your People."

Artemis handed the helmet to Holly Short, but before she could put it on, Artemis grabbed her hand and looked her in the eyes.

"I do not believe the Commander was behind this, but in any case, I am sorry for the trials I have put you through tonight. None of this has worked out quite …." Here Artemis sighed again, and looked towards the ground. "Butler is loading the … ransom back up, once it is returned you can leave as well."

Holly just stared at the Mud Boy in shock. He was giving up, defeated. As Artemis walked away from her, she realized that it wasn't something she wanted to see. Not like this at least. This wasn't a victory. She put the helmet on to speak with the Commander.

"Did you know?" said Holly.

"Short! What's the situation? Are the Mud Men let-" Commander Root started.

"Did you know about the ransom?" Holly interrupted.

There was a short pause, but Root responded soon enough.

"Well, it took a while to authorize such a large amount, but it was delivered on time." The Commander paused again, thinking. "Short, is there something I should know about the ransom?"

Holly suppressed a sob. She felt that someone must have noticed something wrong with the ransom, but that no one would mention it...

"Yessir. You should know that in the next minute, you'll get the full ransom back. All except one bar, which I damaged. The full ransom. An entire metric ton… of Silicon Pyrite!"

"Silicon py-" Foaly started in the background, but Holly interrupted again.

"For almost ten thousand years, since the last war with humanity, LEPrecon officers have been promised a ransom in case of capture. And today, I found out they were LYING TO US!" shouted Holly.

Root made to speak but Holly cut him off again.

"I have been BETRAYED, by the Council, by the People… and you missed it. You let it happen right under your nose. So, here's a report you can take back to Haven. I quit!"

Holly felt angrier than ever before. More hurt than after two troll fights. And perhaps that's what gave her the courage to finish her next sentence.

"And I withdraw from the People below and the People above, under the Abandonment Clause of the Book!"

And finally, she ended the most painful call of her life. She pulled the helmet off her head and threw it across the entrance way.

* * *

In the bowels of the earth sat Haven, the city of the Fairy Folk. This is where all the People, from goblins to elves, centaurs to dwarves, live away from the dangers and destruction that is mankind. Protecting these fair folk is the Council, a group of LEP commanders in charge of Haven City and the People as a whole. And right now they were each of them poised to break some of the most sacred commitments they had. At least, most of them were...

"It's eight against one Councilwoman Vinyaya. Surely you see why this decision should be made unanimous. We need to stand together to -"

"Stand together? This is everything we should be standing against! Even the Mud Men wouldn't fake their offered ransoms!"

"Many of the Mud Nations don't even offer ransoms. And don't forget that they often offer fake promises, especially to each other."

"Even if they don't offer ransoms for officers, they wouldn't pay with fake money! They may make the money traceable, track the numbers or what have you, but they know enough not to give a kidnapper fake gold!"

The Council Leader paused, then continued.

"I assume then that you will not change your stance on this?"

"You may assume that I have and will NEVER change my stance on this. The hostage relief fund should have always been real. I've been telling you for decades that-"

"Wing Commander, this is not the time for 'I told you so's'. Now, as you cannot overrule our position you are required by law to stand aside."

Vinyaya glared around at the other Councilors, but only one flinched under that gaze. The rest just stared impassively back at her.

"Very well. But if it comes to light, that the Reserve Ransom Gold Fund is empty and has been for longer than any of us have been on this Council, then all of you will suffer the consequences."

"If that is a threat, know that you would be suffering with us. As it is, no human would be able to tell the difference between –"

"But Captain Short might! And if she does, then we will have abandoned one of our own to the Mad Men. Do you even know what that would mean that one of our Captains has been –"

"That will not happen," said Councilman Lope. "According to the Commander's report, Captain Short never completed the Ritual. She doesn't have the magic to sense the difference. Besides no one has ever accepted the Abandonment Clause in all the centuries since Frond had the Fairy Geis created. I highly doubt that will ever change. This is just another tactic that an officer must use to defend the People. Captain Holly, I'm sure, would understand. Now, step aside."

At this Vinyaya glared at Council Leader Cahartaz, as she took the required four steps back to demonstrate her disagreement with the decision made. The remaining Council members turned inwards and focused their attention on the communication line into the Time Stop. They would send the Bio-Bomb as soon as the elven hostage was freed... or if it was revealed that she wouldn't be released.

As if to test their resolve, a call came through from the surface. Commander Root was calling using emergency codes. Things weren't proceeding smoothly on the surface...

* * *

Commander Root was at a point beyond his fury. Many would believe that this would make him louder and brasher than ever, even Commander Root would admit that his temper usually ensures that everyone near would feel his wrath.

"Commander Root. We've received your comm link. What is the situation?"

Root stared coldly at the speaker. Emergency codes were rarely ever used, even during an emergency. In almost all real emergencies, the Commanders of the LEP, or even the secretive Section 8, had almost unlimited powers.

"Commander Root? The Council is connected. What's your status?"

In fact, there were only a few powers he didn't have in this situation.

"Commander Root?! What's the situation on the surface?"

Two of those powers being: Who was the Commander was in charge, and releasing gold from the ransom fund vault.

"Is anyone one receiving this?"

"I'm here," growled Commander Root.

"Commander Root? What caused the delay in your response?"

"You couldn't take a guess?" Commander Root spoke, coldly.

"Are the Mud Men refusing to hand over the hostage?"

"Oh, the Mud Men are allowing the release of Short. We've established a dialogue, and they've even returned the payment in full... minus one bar. We've even provided rad-gel, so they can treat our missing Captain for radiation exposure. **Captain** Holly Short," and here the Commander's voice grew in emphasis, "is still inside and is refusing to leave. Apparently, she cannot abide by an agreement fulfilled in dishonesty."

"I... don't believe I understand wha–"

"She has tendered her resignation. She has decided to leave the People, under the Abandonment Clause of the Book. And she is refusing to leave the premises. All because, for some reason, you sent one metric ton of PYRITE INFUSED SILICON BARS INSTEAD OF THE **GOLD NEEDED TO PROCURE HER RELEASE!**"

As Commander Root shouted these last loud words, he heard a rocket leap from its cradle.

* * *

Holly Short, no longer a Captain of the LEP and no longer an elf of the People, stood with Fowl in the living room. She had made her decision, and if the People refused to pay a ransom that every LEP officer is promised in case of capture by Humanity, then she wouldn't, couldn't live with them freely. It was a rash decision, to accept the Clause, a decision made in anger. She already felt her Book heat up and knew that she may have given up her magic for the Council's lies.

Fowl had already told her several times that she was free, but she still couldn't bring herself to leave. Not then, not with the LEP camped out front and a Time Stop in progress.

No, she was going to side with the Mud Men. After all, she was betrayed first. Now if only she could make the Mud Boy hurry up!

"We need to escape now! At any moment, the LEP will launch the Bio-Bomb. They'll have no other option! The Time Stop is running out and they can't let you free with knowledge about the People."

"I am quite aware of all these facts. But I need more time. I need to calculate your exact dosage, or the tranquilizer could cause you serious harm or be burned off by your magic!"

It was rather impressive. Here was a Mud Boy, barely passed his first decade, and he had already discovered a way to escape a Time Stop. It was fairly ingenious, Time Stops were often used as a way to infiltrate human homes and settlements and plant or retrieve objects. Or, at least that's what they were used for before the invention of the Bio-Bomb.

Still, the idea that a simple sleeping pill would work to escape the Time Stop was almost beyond belief. Holly wouldn't have believed it if the Mud Boy hadn't already drugged both Butlers, causing them to vanish instantly. His own flute of champagne was sitting nearby, the irony painfully clear that he would have won and escaped if not for the Council's treacherous behavior.

"Alright, I believe I have the dosage correct. This dosage should knock you out without having your magic counteract the sedative. Drink quickly and find a place to calmly drift to away."

"I know how a sedative works, Mud Boy!" snaps Holly. She then downed the glass of water and sleeping medication in several quick gulps. Artemis sighs and calmly drank his sedative-laced champagne.

"Besides, I've renounced the People" Holly continued as she started to lay down and her mind started to slow down. "I don't think I …. have … magic …."

And as the former LEPrecon Captain drifted to sleep, she heard the Mud Boy's reply.

"I think you'll find that you might have more magic than you knew."

And, just before her senses shut off altogether, she thought she heard the soft zoom of a rocket nearby.

* * *

"What happened?" Foaly exclaimed, rushing into the communications room. Commander Root was standing at the communications console, staring out of the window. Foaly looked outside just in time to see the manor glow a bright electric blue.

"No," gasped Foaly, eyes wide as he started at Fowl Manor. "No, this can't be happening! We were going… I mean, Holly was still in…"

After a long moment, Foaly looked to the Commander and was so numb was to be unsurprised at the tears he saw there. Then a voice sounded from the speaker on the console.

"We did what we had to preserve the safety of the People. I'm sorry for the loss of your Captain, Commander Root and offer our condolences. Take your time to grieve, but make sure that Captain Short's remains are removed from the premises before the time stop ends."

And with that, the red light indicating an active connection to the outside world went dark.

Both Foaly and Root stood there for a full precious minute, before Root seem to collapse inwards. Then the Commander turned around and left the room. Foaly though stood there for another minute. He didn't even respond when some of his technical sprites arrived to dismantle the communications station.

Then, with a shuttering gasp, he made a promise to himself. He would never build another Bio-bomb for the LEP. He would never allow another Bio-Bomb to be made. And he definitely wouldn't allow the ones that currently were resting in LEP garrisons around and under the world to remain at any lethal capacity.

Never again would a weapon of his own making kill one of his friends.

* * *

Root had gathered the remains of Retrieval One quickly, making sure they outfitted themselves in radiation proof blackout suits. The suits were airtight, making it ideal for working in places were poison was in the air, whether the poison was radioactive or man-made.

Captain Kelp made the mistake of asking if the large Mud Man was dead, which earned him a glare from the Commander so cold that the entire Retrieval team knew that something had gone very wrong. They had their suspicions when the load of gold had been returned out the front entrance of the manor.

After a long second of silence, Commander Root gave them a quick briefing.

"The Council were in control of the Bio-Bomb when it was launched. Captain Short was still inside. We have to go inside now to recover her body and confirm the death of the Mud Men. According to our surveillance, there were three humans inside when the Time Stop went off. Due to interference, we now need to make sure there were three humans inside when the blue rinse happened. Understood?"

It may have been the longest the Commander had gone without raising his voice since he'd been promoted to Major. Captain Kelp was looked like he was locked into place, but nodded his head; Corporal Kelp looked uncertain, perhaps even afraid of his Commander. The Commander didn't seem to notice and continued speaking in even tones as he turned back to the manor.

"Let's move out. And be careful, the big Mud Man might be gone, but he did tell the Corporal that he had mines planted in the grounds. Wouldn't be surprised if he done the drive as well."

Both Kelps and the rest of Retrieval One straightened out. Although some of them like the idea of an action hero's death, going out with a bang wasn't something they were planning for today. Enough People had died.

The Commander took point. He'd been the only one to go inside the Manor before, and so therefore would better know the layout. In any case, Foaly had made sure to create blueprints for the Manor as part of his original scans. They would allow them easier access to the Manor.

"Foaly, are you at the Command Booth?"

"Yes sir, Commander. What do you need?" the centaur replied. His voice was uncharacteristically somber.

Root almost commented to Foaly about his tone, but remembered that the centaur had been good friends with Captain Short and decided not to remark on it.

"Are you getting any thermal signatures?"

"Julius, the Bio-Bomb filled that building with heat signatures. Mostly flares from the blast. It won't calm down for at least three days."

"Anything you can give me on where they might have been?"

"Well, it looks like the scans started working after the silicon pyrite had been removed. The last heat signatures were in the main kitchen when the bomb … was detonated. I'd start there. Better make it quick, we've got maybe five minutes until the Time Stop ends."

"Thank you Foaly."

The Commander turned to his men and gave the order. Three Retrieval units gathered at the sides of the doorway to the Manor. After a quick glance inside, all three went inside and took defensive positions to defend and secure this room. Or, at least, they tried to.

Everyone outside heard the retch. Hearing someone vomit into their microphone actually made one of the officers outside have to kneel over themselves and open their visor.

The Commander looked into the Manor at the three officers. Captain Kelp was doubled over, heaving over a pile of vomit on the floor and his boots. After a moment, Corporal Kelp turned around as well. His visor was closed, and he might have started drowning in his own bile.

Root jumped inside and pressed the visor-release button. He didn't get to watch the puke spill out of Grub's helmet though, because he was quickly on his knees as well regurgitating his rations over the dusty rubble-filled floors.

"Foaly," groaned Root, in between vomiting. "What's happen – HURK!"

"Commander! Give me a moment, I'm looking! I'm looking!"

Back in the Command Booth, Foaly was frantically searching for answers. He wouldn't allow another friend to be lost today.

"Right. Spontaneous vomiting, nausea … Oh!"

"What?!" shouted Root, trying to crawl back to the waiting Retrieval Team outside. Difficult considering he couldn't stop dry heaving.

"It's the magic!" exclaimed Foaly. "No Fairy may enter the house until Fowl is dead. And if you're having that reaction, that means they made it. Artemis Fowl is still alive."

Root finally rolled outside the entrance way, and almost immediately felt better. One of the Corporals outside helped him on his feet.

"Foaly, if they are alive, then this isn't over. They might still have Captain Short. We'll have to return as soon as possible to contain the situation."

"Yes sir, I've got our exit window ready. We'll be leaving the instant after the Council closed their comm line. It will give us a window of three hours until Fowl Manor rejoins the world at large."

* * *

 _The ground was soft by the time-stop perimeter. Half a millennium's bad drainage from the medieval walls had transformed the foundations into a virtual bog. So that was where Mulch surfaced._

 _The soft ground wasn't the only reason for choosing that exact spot. The other reason was the smell. A good tunnel dwarf can pick up the scent of gold through half a mile of granite bedrock. Mulch Diggums had one of the best noses in the business._

\- _Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer_

Like all dwarves though, they could also smell the difference between real gold and fake gold. Trying to pass off fake gold to a dwarf was like comparing Foaly's inventions to a potato battery; at best they give you an annoyed grimace, but are more likely to respond with anger. Otherwise, dwarves usually didn't even bother with fake gold, but Mulch smelt an opportunity for profit and so popped up on a hill overlooking the hovertrolley.

The trolley itself floated almost unguarded, with two Retrieval officers standing guard laughing at a mess that Commander Root was in. This allowed Mulch a good chance to case the ransom. And he didn't like what he saw.

The trolley was almost full, with a single bar missing from its stacks. The only way more faux gold would be missed is if the attempted ransom had been more than a single ton. If he tried to take any, the missing 'gold' would be easily noticed and the LEP Commander would definitely suspect something.

He might even discover that Mulch had faked his death. Still, Mulch almost had to thank Julius. In the course of a single night, he had gone from nearly killed by a goblin gang while under arrest to free and presumed dead by the LEP. And since he wouldn't be taking anything from the cart, there would be no evidence otherwise.

Still, that didn't mean that he was in the clear. To really sell this, he would need to avoid the People for a few decades. Maybe take up a job as a cat-burglar. If he was able to get enough money, he'd be able to hide in comfort, meaning that by the time he returned to the Underground no one would connect this long missing dwarf with the long dead Mulch Diggums.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Artemis Fowl is the property of Eoin Colfer. I am not Eoin Colfer, nor do I own rights to any of the characters, settings, or events recognizable from his works.**

Chapter 2

* * *

At this point, some information has to be given about the Abandonment Clause. As every fairy (and three Mud Men) knew, the Book of the People was a magical Bible containing the history of the fairy race, the rules each fairy were bound under, and the ways their magic might be used. What very few fairies (and one Mud Boy) realized is that if the rules and uses for magic listed in the Book were all that magic could do, then most of the history listed in the Book was literally mythology. Either the People had lost their ancient magicks or the history written in the Book was incorrect.

Some theories had been created about this loss of magic. The main theory was that since the People were not meant to live belowground, they had lost access and knowledge of magicks that belonged above ground. The Dwarves were held as an example, since the burrowing race had many abilities that seemed to appear spontaneously whenever needed. The Dwarves privately laughed at this theory, since they knew they had their secret abilities naturally (due to evolution) and didn't require magic of any sort to use them. If they were getting extra underground magic, then cave-ins would be far less deadly.

Another theory is that the war against the People was so violent and brutal that the magic inside them broke and was now healing. There were two sides to this argument, debating whether it was the violence done to the People or by the People that caused magic to be so damaged. Many a warlock's apprentice would embarrass themselves by mentioning it this theory to their master. Warlocks knew that magic was as fine as it ever had been, using spells and devices to measure and compare magic to recordings from long ago. If anything, magic was getting even more powerful, growing as all living things do.

Many warlocks subscribed to the theory that, like humanity, the People were becoming less dependent on magic, so therefore their bodies were growing less capable of wielding the extreme examples listed in their ancient history. It must also be said that the history was written by the victors, so therefore the events may have been exaggerated somewhat.

The least popular theory was created by a centaur, a member of the only Fairy race that didn't have magic. He theorized that the Book itself had been changed by the Fairy Geis that the Elvin King Frond had created during his reign. In that case, the Fairy Geis was the source for the loss of power and knowledge, while also adding new rules like the Rule of Dwellings. Of course, no magic-wielding fairy believed that their source of knowledge was a trap. Foaly actually had to dodge a punch from Commander Root when he had mentioned the idea to him.

Whatever caused the loss, amongst those rules of the Book was the Abandonment Clause. It was one of the newer rules of Fairy life imposed by the Geis, but ironically was the only optional one. The basic text said that if the Fairy People were to abandon one of their own to the Mud Dwellers, then the abandoned one could choose to renounce their People and their Book would be 'cleansed of all magicks, bathed in an arcane fyr.' This was generally taken to mean that the Book would spontaneously combust, while taking away the magic of the fairy in question.

As no one wanted to lose their magic and their People (especially all at once), no fairy had ever renounced the People, even after a betrayal. Thus the general interpretation was never proven true… or false.

* * *

Commander Root had just arrived at the Council building. Already, news crews were swarming the upper floors. Worse of all were the sprites, flitting around with cameras, looking for a person to interrogate on the status of the 'Fowl Fiasco.' One made the mistake of trying to interview him. The Commander didn't even look as he grabbed the sprite by the ankle and threw him into the crowd.

"SHUT UP!" he bellowed. And there was silence. Partially because of Root's temper, but largely because he might give them the news first.

"Now, I need you all to go to the public entrance for the Council Meeting. I've called an Emergency Public Meeting to … discuss the events of the past night. You will not make a sound while the Meeting is on-going, or I will have a whichever fool who did thrown out of here. No exceptions. Now get out of my way!"

The assembled newsfairies promptly disassembled and left the area for a different entrance. The Commander stomped over to the entranceway to the Council and violently shoved the door open. Once the door was shut behind him, he was able to cool down a little. He checked his wrist-comp for any updates: Foaly was back in Operations coordinating Retrieval Two's (nicknamed 'the Day Squad') surveillance of the Fowl estate. They already detected a single resident inside, but they appeared to be asleep. No other information was detected and no signals were permitted to leave the grounds.

With the update received, Root proceeded to stalk through the halls until he reached the Council Room. Already he could hear the reporters buzzing in the wings. He slammed the door open, looking for a fairy to throw out, but there had been instant silence from the news pens as soon as the doors had opened.

Root glared around the council room. Aside from papazatsi, there were only a few people. Several witnesses of the prior night were there. Foaly would be giving testimony remotely, since he had set up the time stop and was in charge of the technical side of the operation. Both Captain and Corporal Kelp were there, in case they need to provide information on their encounter with the Mud Man known as Butler. Private Cudgeon would have been there as well, but he was still unconscious and apparently suffering from side-effects from mixing the tranquillizer with another drug (Foaly had privately told him that the only known drug that could cause his face to melt like that when combined with the sedative was a type of illegal mind accelerant). And finally, at the front of the room was the Fairy Council.

Most days, the Council put up a front for the public. One of benevolence and self-control and, most of all, unity. And although Root was sure that was what everyone else in this room saw, he knew better. Wing Commander Vinyaya was definitely upset with her fellow councilmen. Council leader Cahartaz flinched in guilt when he met Root's gaze. And the other council members seemed tense. In fact, Lope was so tense that Root could see beads of sweat drip from his forehead.

On the far side of the council room, the speaker of the council stood to start the council meeting.

"We are now gathered for an emergency Council meeting, as called by LEPrecon Commander Root. As part of the meeting summons, Root has declared this meeting to be open to the public. To ensure that the proceedings are not disturbed, a sound shield has been raised. Aside from the Council members and the aforementioned Commander Root, there are present, the centaur Foaly, a technical consultant for the LEP, LEPretrieval Captain Kelp, and LEPretrieval Corporal Kelp, who witnessed the events of the incident. Also present is LEPinternalaffairs Commander Ark Sool, who is the leading investigator in this incident. Will Commander Root now state for the records the reason for tonight's meeting."

All eyes were now on the Commander. All, save the Commander's own. That was why the Commander was the only one to see the nervousness of the Council members. Root's eyes narrowed. They were guilty, and he would make sure that they told him the truth behind the fake gold.

"Abandonment," the Commander said coldly. The Council flinched collectively and the Commander was sure he heard the citizens gasp, even though the sound shield was active. "I've called this meeting, to investigate the Abandonment of former LEP Captain Short to the Mud Man known as Artemis Fowl. The Abandonment that was instigated and carried out by this Council."

The Council Speaker gulped quietly, but continued speaking as tradition dictated.

"As the reason for this meeting has been stated, this meeting of the Council can now begin."

"And first off," said Commander Sool. "I want to hear a full recounting of the event, in order to fully understand the accusation that you've made against the Council."

Root growled internally, the pompous gnome was wasting time on purpose. But there was no way he could deny the request. So, grudgingly, Root began his recount of the night's events.

* * *

Artemis could hear someone calling him. There was a face as well, but it was too blurry to recognize. Perhaps…?

"Father?" The word felt wrong in his mouth. Like it was a mistake to use it now. Artemis blinked and opened his eyes.

Butler was standing there. "Artemis. Are you awake?"

"Ah. Yes, Butler, I'm awake. How are you doing?"

Butler narrowed his eyes at his charge.

"I'm fine, but Juliet was lying drugged on the longue until the Captain healed her. I need an explanation for that."

Artemis got up, dizzy due to the sleeping pills. He almost expected Butler to help him, but had heard the disapproval in Butler voice and realized that it was aimed at him. Juliet was sitting on a chaise longue, with sharp and narrowed eyes observing him.

"It was just sleeping pills, borrowed from Mother's doses. Harmless."

The manservant's eyes narrowed further.

"Artemis, you had us trapped in a Manor under siege by fairies who had stopped time around us. And your response was to drug me and my sister. According to Captain Short, a missile was launched into this manor when you drugged yourself and her. I demand an explanation now!"

Artemis was put under the unusual situation of being ordered to do something by his own Butler. He almost declined automatically, but then he realized that he was acting childish. An explanation was necessary for everyone.

"Very well, you're right. I do owe you the truth. Though I must ask where the Captain would be, has she left already?"

"No, Mud Boy. I'm still here," said a voice floating above and behind Artemis. "But if you are going to share the plot, you better get a move on. The LEP will be back tonight. Since no actual gold was involved this event is not over yet."

Artemis turned towards the wayward elf and bowed his head.

"I am truly sorry for what I have cost you Holly. Please let me know if there is anything I can do."

Holly scoffed at the offer, but inside her feelings were a jumble. The human was still the mastermind who had captured her, who had actually set everything in motion, but he was also the only one in the room likely to know what she had lost. She felt a little warmer that someone was there who understood somewhat.

"As for the sleeping pills, it was the only way to escape the time-stop. I didn't tell you about them because you would fight them. It's part of your training to resist any such medication in order to protect me, and it was imperative that we all went to sleep immediately."

"And the rest of last night?"

Artemis lowered himself gently into an armchair.

"The time-field was the key, to both the fairies continued success and to my plan tonight. It's what made the People unbeatable and kept them safe for all these years. Any situation could be contained in past, with only LEP support able to arrive from the present. And with the bio-bomb, it allowed them to easily deal with a situation in the past while not allowing any potential fallout to escape the target area."

"And how does drugging us come into it?"

Artemis grimaced. Butler was still upset.

"I had to come up with a way to escape the time-field. I searched through the Book –"

"And doesn't that remind me of a few questions I have for you," Holly interjected.

"But," Artemis continued, shooting Holly, not a glare as would be expected, but a quick glance for the interruption, "The People themselves hadn't invented a way to escape it. Not aside from their own entrance. So I went back to their Old Testament, when they were more dependent on magic and the lives of humans and fairies were more connected. Back to when they used the Time-Stop before the invention of the bio-bomb. Back then, the fairy people would grant magical favors in return for the protection of their fairy forts. I searched through any part of their history for stories of the Time Stop. Imagine my surprise when I discover that one of those stories was about Santa Claus."

At this, Butler's eyebrows jumped up to his hairline. Juliet sat up suddenly and stared surprised at Artemis. Holly though, gave a quiet chuckle.

"Really? You escaped the time stop because of old King D'Klass?"

Artemis gave her a shrug and then turned back to Butler. "I understand your disbelief; I was somewhat surprised myself. Apparently, the idea of Santa Claus doesn't come from a Turkish saint, the story is in fact based of the legend of San D'Klass, third king of the Frond Elfin dynasty."

Holly snorted again. "You give him too much credit. The king was a naïve idiot." She turned towards the Butlers to tell them more about it. "He apparently thought that humanity could be bribed into good behavior, so every year he had all the great warlocks cover his own country in a Time Stop. He then had sprites go to the homes of all the Mud – humans – and leave magical and expensive gifts while everyone was asleep. He kept the tradition up for almost a full century. My own teacher told me he was frequently called San the Deluded."

Butler's facial features twitched in what almost was a grin. "Nice title," he commented.

"And what would keep them from waking up? The humans that is," asked Juliet.

"The Time Stop itself would," said Holly. "Time only really exists for the waking. It can barely can reach you when you are asleep. If you're asleep when the time-stop is put in place, then… Oh." Holly's face was suddenly comprehending.

"Indeed," responded Artemis. "If you are asleep during a time-stop, then you will wake up after the time-stop unaffected by anything that happened in it. If you are awake, then you are not only effected by the time-stop, but you can't fall asleep until the time stop is over. You probably had noticed that your fatigue was increasing these last few hours, but your mind wouldn't let you sleep. In fact, that may be why you were still… conscious when the Captain healed you. The time-stop wouldn't let your mind go."

Butler nodded. That did explain a few things, and more importantly it seemed that Artemis was getting to his point. Juliet though was staring at her brother anxiously, upset at the reminder that her brother had almost died before her mesmerized eyes.

"So, my theory was that if one was able to force themselves asleep (and a natural sleep was the requirement, we couldn't simply be unconscious), then we would be freed from the time-field."

Butler nodded again, but he was frowning slightly. "You risked an awful lot on that theory, Artemis."

"Not just a theory, we did have a test subject."

"What?" said Holly, looking over to Artemis in surprise. Butler was confused too, until he realized …

"You mean Angeline."

Artemis sighed. "Yes. My mother."

"Wait, you drugged your own mother for your scheme!?" shouted Holly. She had been (almost) prepared to like some of these Mud Men too.

Artemis winced, but bravely turned toward the upset elf.

"No, I didn't. You wouldn't know, but she hasn't been quite herself since my father disappeared. I can tell you more later, but the truth is my mother has been growing … erratic for the past year. She, occasionally mind you, even forgets where she is or who she's with. Child Services already has plans to remove me from her custody, which would also prevent me from searching for my father. It's why I came up with this 'scheme' in the first place. The sleeping pills are part of her daily treatment."

Holly Short was shocked, she hadn't really given thought to what would make a child, even a human child, desperate enough to try and kidnap a fairy for ransom. She understood quite a bit more now; she remembered how the loss of her own mother had inspired her to join the LEP. The Butlers were both surprised as well, though the elder Butler hid it better. Neither of them expected Artemis to have revealed to anyone, much less their recent hostage, anything about his mother's condition.

'And his father is missing as well, I don't know what I would have done in his place,' thought Holly to herself.

Artemis continued on, pretending to be unaware of how this news might affect the elf.

"In any case, mother did escape the time-field when it was first created. Otherwise, I would have simply surrendered and requested a mind wipe. Even then, there were other complications during the night. I will admit, escaping the BioBomb was a much closer thing than I would have liked."

"And it may not be the only time we'll need to dodge one," Butler replied. "They may be gone for now, but I would bet they'll be back tonight. They've been hiding themselves too long for them to let us go."

"That will likely be the case," Artemis reluctantly agreed. "If we had actually gotten the gold, they would have been forced by their own rules to leave us be. But since we didn't receive any Fairy gold, this case is still open for them. I may have to use one of my backup plans to get us out of this situation."

As Artemis frowned thoughtfully to himself, the other three people in the room shivered. If last night had been his best plan, just how badly could Plan B turn out. Artemis shook his head, as if to clear it and then turned towards Holly. He then sighed.

"In any case, Holly. You are still free to go. I never meant to separate you from your People for longer than a single night in any case."

Holly frowned, a mix of emotions playing on her face. Mainly anger and sadness, with a hint of desperation.

"I don't have anywhere to go; the People have abandoned me. I even told Commander Root that I was taking the Abandonment Clause."

Artemis took a long examining look at the elf.

"Obviously, you haven't chosen it yet. Your book is still present on you, and I see no sign of fire damage or burns."

Holly glared back at Artemis.

"But I can feel my Book, it's hot. Almost to the point of burning. I could lose it at any moment."

"Then there is still time. You are nearing the point of no return, you can still go home if you want to."

"I don't have a home!" yelled Holly. "The Council betrayed their promise to me. A promise they make to every member of the LEP, from the Commanders to down to the Privates on Traffic. A promise that has been made for almost ten thousand years. We were promised the Ransom Fund in case of capture by the Mud Men. And they LIED!"

"And yet you are still a member of the People. You could go back, expose them. Fix their broken promises so no one else would be betrayed. The Council may have betrayed you, but you can still serve and protect your People."

Holly stood silent, glaring at the ground while Artemis sitting there, staring at her with an unreadable expression on his face.

'I can't believe I'm listening to this Mud Boy. But he has a point. I could go back and try to expose the Council. The question really is _can_ I still serve the People after this? Could I trust the LEP to support me against them? And on the other hand,' Holly thought with a grimace. 'Could I live with myself if I refused to try?'

Both Butler and Juliet were confused, but it was Butler who broke the silence.

"I'm sorry if I've missed something, sir, but it seems that you to are arguing about more than her return to the Underground."

Holly didn't react. She had grabbed her Book and was staring at it, as if blaming it for the events of the past night. After a moment, Artemis responded.

"We are talking about the Abandonment Clause of the Book. It deals with the consequences of a fairy being betrayed to the Mud Men by the Fairy People. If such a thing were to happen, then the fairy in question has a choice. Either they stay faithful to the People, or they renounce them. If they do renounce their People, then the Book states that 'they', assumedly the betrayed, would be cleansed of their magic and their book would burn. It has never happened before, but the immediate likely interpretation would mean that the Captain would lose her magic, as well as her People. She would be beyond the touch of Fairy law, forever."

Artemis shifted in his seat, and then stood.

"In any case, such a decision should not be reached with haste. If you would like, I could arrange for one of our guest rooms to be made available for you while you plan out your next steps. We have several you might use. Juliet," and here he turned to the youngest Butler, "the guest rooms are all prepared I assume?".

"Er… yes, Artemis, they are. I can double check to make sure they're still alright though. Big brother told me there was an intruder here earlier; who knows what he got up to before Butler found him." Juliet then stood up, only slightly wobbly since the Captain's healing had reversed most of the effects of thee sleeping pills.

"Thank you, Juliet. Please, help Miss Short with anything she requires. Also, check on my mother. She should also be waking up from her dose about now."

Juliet nodded to Artemis, but instead of leaving she walked over and gave her brother a hug. She whispered in his ear, "I forgive him, so don't get to upset on my account."

Butler was still upset with his charge, but he had reached much the same conclusion. In fact, the night's events could prove to be a good lesson to Artemis about these types of schemes. Provided of course, that they were able to remember the truth about these events before the day ended.

* * *

Root was barely able to reign in his temper. The only thing holding him back was the realization that if he attempted to blow through the proceedings, the Council might be allowed to get away with its actions.

They had already recounted the original mission to Italy, the troll capture that resulted in no deaths or serious injuries, that Captain Short had exhausted her magic and was ordered to perform the ritual, only to be abducted by two humans with alarming knowledge of fairy rituals and powers.

The Commander had given testimony about his encounters with Artemis Fowl, both at the whaler and the in person meeting. Captain Kelp also gave his statement, describing his teams disastrous encounter with the human 'Butler'. Foaly was then called forward to provide technical evidence and show the integrity of the time field deployed. Mulch's infiltration was also detailed by Foaly, who was the technical assistant directly assisting the convict. When Foaly revealed that the source of the human's knowledge was an actual copy of the Book, all the faces that the Commander could see in the news booth turned gray. That the copy wasn't in Gnomish, but had in fact been translated into English, was beyond disastrous.

Foaly didn't pause though, he continued on with Mulch's meeting with the hostage, who had apparently gotten loose and regained her magic (at this Councilman Lope twitched again, he had been counting on her loss of magic to prevent her from discovering the ruse). He briefly described Mulch's near-capture and escape from Butler, before giving the account of the cave in. Commander Root gave himself a moment to think about the loss of the reprobate.

It was then that Professor Argon gave a brief statement as to Artemis's mistake, providing a crucial detail that would allow the Captain to be rescued without exposing the People.

Root detailed the plan he made to have the ransom be paid, only to recover the gold after detonating the bio-bomb. He took particular note detailing Cudgeon's council-backed plan of releasing a troll inside the manor to procure an invitation inside. He enjoyed the looks on some council leaders faces as he explained how the troll didn't make any of the Mud Men cry for help, how said Mud Man was saved by Captain Short (as she had saved the lives of the restaurant owners earlier that same night from the same troll, and whose attempt at escape was now prevented by the need to make sure no one died), and how the Mud Man then proceed to completely take the troll apart (thus cementing Butler as the Mud Monster from the People's worst nightmares). He also made it clear that Captain Short was the only reason the troll was still alive, as the Mud Man had been preparing to kill it when she intervened.

Finally, he got to the real issue. The ransom. The thing he'd been trying to talk about since the beginning. Root was about to continue when the door behind him opened up.

"Excuse me," interrupted the elf, one Corporal Frond. "Commander, you wanted to be informed when Fowl Manor exited the Time-Stop. The report just came in; the Manor has rejoined normal time."

"Thank you Corporal," Root gruffly replied. The Corporal relaxed for a moment, a small smile on her face for getting a kind(ish) sentence from the Commander. She nodded and left the room.

"I would remind you that Council meetings are sealed once started, except in the case of council orders," Ark Sool said.

Normally Root would get angry at some questioning him, but he was saving his rage for other things at the moment and replied coldly.

"That is true, save for the case of an emergency. Which we are still in."

It took a moment for the gnome to realize the implication, and when he did he grinned a bit nastily.

"So, are you saying the Mud Man who kidnapped the Captain are still alive? That's a break of regulations, Commander. You should have ensured their deaths before releasing the time-stop."

"And I did," countered Root, eyes narrowed at the gnome across from him. "Soon after we sent in the gold, Fowl contacted us saying that the gold was a fake. Hol- Captain Short apparently proved this by exposing a bar to electricity. The ransom that was delivered in exchange for Captain Short was silicon pyrite."

Sool's eyes widened at this, and he gave a quick glance at the council. Root knew he had them then. Sool may have been a particularly annoying bureaucrat, one that frequently worked the political game and always covered his own ass, but that didn't mean he would betray the People he served. He knew that the LEPrecon needed some assurances to work properly, that even the 'out-of-control' nature of the current Recon was preferable to no Recon division whatsoever. And now, he knew that the council had betrayed a recon Captain.

"Just after the gold had been sent it, the council also sent an order. They wanted to be able to remotely launch the bio-bomb. It was an unusual request, but Foaly made it happen without compromising the time-field. And that's when Fowl and Captain Short contacted me."

"I confirmed it with Foaly, that the gold I had just sent in was silicon pyrite, well beyond the ability of the Mud Men to synthesize. Especially a metric ton of it. The Captain was so upset that she verbally delivered her resignation right than, …" Root paused here for emphasis. "… Under the Abandonment Clause of the book."

At these words, the other fairies in the room went pale. Sool was actually speechless, staring from Root to the council in shock. The fairies behind the sound shield were unmoving. And the council themselves were looking very sick indeed.

"It was at this point that I contacted the council, to determine why exactly this had happened. Imagine when, upon asking about the pyrite, the bio-bomb received the order to launch from underground."

It was very clear what had happened at this point. The council hadn't expected to be discovered, and decided to kill a fairy in order to cover it up. Even if this was the first time any fairy had claimed the Abandonment Clause since the Frond Dynasty, there was no excuse for ordering the death of an innocent fairy.

"If I didn't have hope that Holly was still alive, I wouldn't be calmly explaining myself now."

And it was with this comment that everyone, both in the council chambers and on their units at home, completely focused their attention on Root. Root left them silent, for a moment. But the instant it looked like someone was about to ask him the one question on everyone's minds, he continued.

"When we attempted to enter the Manor, our fairies on point all got violently ill. Instantly, three fairies started puking and cramping. They were unable to stand up. And Foaly compared the symptoms and found only one potential cause. Artemis Fowl had said that no fairy had his permission to enter as long as he was alive. And apparently, he was still alive. The Mud Boy, Artemis Fowl, had successfully escaped the time-stop. And if he could escape, so would have taken his two human companions with him. So it follows that he may have saved my captain as well."

There was silence in the chambers, and no one thought they could be more surprised. A human that could beat a troll in combat. An elven captain, betrayed by her People. And a human child, who was young enough to believe in fairies, ruthless enough to kidnap one, and brilliant enough to escape a time stop. The only reason anyone could believe this story is because Root was the one who told it. The Commander was so honest that he had reported his own brother for his crimes, and he was so loyal to the People that he had hunted his brother down and put him in prison. And now…

Councilman Lope was the first to respond.

"If they are still alive, then a team has to be sent again to deal with them." Lope flinched at the expressions being focused on him, especially Root's glare, but he continued speaking. "No matter what else happened, we cannot allow the humans to go free with fairy knowledge. And on her own, Holly Short is a risk to the People. She must be brought back underground, for her own good and the good of all the fairy People."

Root was about to interject (in a fashion more befitting a volcano erupting), but was interrupted by council leader Vaharaz.

"You do have a point there; we cannot allow the humans to go free. As for Miss Short, we can discuss her status as a citizen of the People properly. After all, I highly doubt that we could allow the Clause to be invoked in such conditions. Besides, it seems that the decision to send the silicon pyrite was the correct one."

At seeing the expression of anger on Root's face, he quickly decided to restate himself somewhat.

"I mean, if we had sent the gold, then by our own laws the situation would be ended. And the humans would be able to go free with their fairy knowledge. Now, at least, we have another opportunity to recover the Captain and deal with the humans before the information is released. What precautions are being taken to prevent this?"

Commander Root could hardly believe this, they were trying to sweep it under the rug, as the Mud Men might say, trying to distract everyone from their betrayal with the fact that the humans were still at large. But it made sense in a way; there was no way they could ignore the threat that Artemis posed to the People. The fact that the Council could not have possibly known or suspected that Fowl would escape was already fading from the People's mind as they realized how much danger the People were in of exposure.

Furious, Root gave his report on the current situation. "Retrieval Two is currently on site. Under LEP Consultant Foaly's direction, they have successful jammed and communications going into or leaving Fowl Manor. They are also under orders to stun any humans from a distance and not to allow any human within close-combat range. After sundown tonight, Retrieval One, led by myself will return to the surface to open communication with the humans and determine their current plans, demands, and the status of Captain Short."

"And it would help," and at this he glared at the Council, "if this Council would not try and provide misinformation or, gods above, fake ransoms without at least informing the Commander on the ground." By the end of the sentence, Root was almost growling at the Council.

"Unfortunately Commander, your closeness to this case may cloud your judgement. We would feel better if a different Commander was appointed-" Lope started, but Commander Root interrupted him.

"And unfortunately Councilmember, this Council's three previous attempts to kill my officer make me disinclined to allow YOU to appoint someone else to command the situation. I would permit," and here Root glanced across at Commander Sool, "an independent observer to be present to judge and advise me on the situation, but you have demonstrated that you have neither the hostage's interest, nor the People's interest, in mind during this operation."

And with that parting comment, Commander Root left the room. And if he just so happened to accidently deactivate the sound shield, well, no member of the media was going to give him flack about it. He permitted himself a single grin as he heard a roar of questions come from behind him, before he reminded himself of what was at stake. Captain Short was, 'is, D'Arvit' the Commander thought quickly, his best agent. And he would be damned if he failed her again.


End file.
